GreyEyed Bandits
by Lia Whyteleafe
Summary: Sequel to 'Hide and Seek'. The twins discover that even Erestor has a playful side.


**Grey-eyed Bandits**

**Disclaimer: Usual drill. Don't own anything.**

**Author's Note: This story was inspired by a poem called 'The Children's Hour'. I can't remember who wrote it, or where I read about it, but it just came into my head last night – and so did a pair of sweet little Elven twins.**

**WARNING: Some of the characters (i.e. Erestor) may be out of character. If they are, I apologise. Come to think of it, Tolkien doesn't exactly give us much on Erestor's characterization, does he? Oh well.**

It was a warm afternoon. The sun smiled down upon the valley, and shed its light through the windows of Imladris and giving the building a warm golden glow. It was the time of day when most of the inhabitants were finishing their work - or at least starting to think about finishing.

With one exception.

At his desk, Erestor brushed his raven-black hair away from the parchment, to keep it from trailing into the wet ink. He intended to get the report finished, with as much attention to detail as he possibly could. He did not think it would make him late for the evening meal this time. Erestor often was late for meals, and sometimes missed them altogether. When that happened, Elrond would always make sure that a plate of food was set aside for his chief advisor.

Fortunately everything had gone perfectly well whilst Elrond and Celebrían had been visiting Lothlórien, and there was nothing serious to report. Erestor did not count the temporary disappearance of Elladan and Elrohir the afternoon before their parents were due to arrive home as a serious incident. Because of a misunderstanding concerning a blue paperweight, the children had decided to hide from Glorfindel for the entire afternoon; Glorfindel had searched for the rascals all over Imladris and had only found them when they emerged from the garden.

Giggling, Elladan and Elrohir scampered down the corridor in search of their father. They were very happy to see their parents again after their absence, and wanted to spend as much time with them as they could. The twins had been released from lessons, and were full of playful energy. As they neared Erestor's study, they noticed that the door was open. Immediately they slowed down, knowing that the advisor appreciated silence.

With a relieved sigh, Erestor finished his sentence and laid down the quill. _That did not take as long as I expected_, he thought. He stood up, walked around to the side of the desk and began to pile the sheets of parchment as neatly as he could. Golden specks of dust swirled around him; his dark robes and hair acquired a pale shimmer in the afternoon sun. At that precise moment Elladan and Elrohir peeped around the door, planning to ask Erestor if he had seen Elrond.

The advisor had his back to them.

Elladan looked at his brother, and smiled. He went into a low crouch and began to creep towards Erestor, his black hair shining in the sunlight from the window. Elrohir's eyes widened. Ambush _Erestor?_ They had never done that before! The preferred target was Glorfindel and that was only because the twins knew he enjoyed the game just as much as they did. Elladan slowly approached Erestor from behind as quietly as he could, pausing when he thought the Noldo was about to turn around.

Suddenly Erestor reached to his left for a stray piece of parchment and Elladan froze, his tiny body poised to flee. Elrohir put a hand to his mouth to stifle a giggle.

Unfortunately, as was often the case when they tried to ambush Glorfindel, neither elfling was being quiet enough. The sound of small footsteps had reached Erestor's ears before Elrohir's giggle. The advisor knew exactly what was going on, and there was a smile on his face. He had been wondering if the children were ever going to start playing the ambush game with him. When he thought Elladan was close enough, he pretended to actually brush the quill off the desk. With his back still turned, he knelt down to pick it up.

Seeing his chance, Elladan pounced and Erestor sprawled to the floor. The child's triumphant cry suddenly turned into a surprised squeak when a black-clad arm went around his waist, trapping him neatly against Erestor's side. Elrohir ran to his brother's rescue – only to be similarly incapacitated.

"Do you think I am not a match for you simply because I am not a warrior?" Erestor got to his feet, with the twins still captive in his arms. "Well, I have you fast – and you will not escape me so easily!"

A knock on the door caused all three of them to turn their heads; the Balrog-slayer was standing in the doorway, looking at the sight before him with a warm smile on his face.

"Ah, Glorfindel. Your timing is impeccable," Erestor said. "I have been having some difficulty with bandits – in fact, the same two bandits that have been repeatedly causing you trouble."

"Really? I am sorry to hear that."

"However, this time they underestimated their opponent and let their guard down. Now I have caught the bandits, what do you suggest I do with them?"

Glorfindel regarded the two small 'bandits'; both of them had their arms wrapped trustingly around Erestor's neck. "Well, I happen to know that if these bandits are tickled mercilessly they will not attempt an ambush for a while. On the other hand, you could merely hand them over to Lord Elrond. I am sure he will give you a rich reward for their capture."

Erestor smiled warmly at his prisoners. "Nay, I know they meant no harm. They are playful and mischievous, but they have good hearts. I will not deliver them to Lord Elrond. However, I daresay they could use a little lesson. Would you care to assist?"

Chuckling, Glorfindel advanced, and soon the twins were squealing and giggling happily as they tried unsuccessfully to avoid tickling fingers. The normally silent study reverberated with laughter as golden as the sunlight.

**Hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are very welcome.**


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